Never

Hiking the trail to Half Dome never gets old

While we may be past the prime age for shopping at Charlotte Russe, our bodies are still not too old to make this trip.  I hope they never are. 

Corey and Reed may bicker like an old married couple, but they never seem to tire of each others company

Never underestimate the power of a good cookie and water break along the trail

You'd never see us smiling like Shelley without them!

Shelley never needs to worry about anything when she's got her guy around, he always takes good care of her!

When I look at the dome from so far away it seems like we'll never get there!

You'll never be too old to heed your mother's advice not to get too close to the edge

Somehow the Greenlaws manage to never use the "facili-trees" out here. They just find a comfy tree to hang out on while the rest of us see what kind of pretty potties we can find.

"You mean that sign that says we can never go any further with out a permit? Yeah, we're not doing that!"  Luckily Reed worked his magic on a friendly ranger and they agreed on a swap for getting us to the top without permits!

Never let the mouth piece of your Camelback loose, those dribbles can really be embarrassing!

"Jen, we never did come across that flat spot you said was up here!"

Towering above a granite landscape, with branches reaching out on just one side, a single pine tree never seemed so defiant.

The view of the granite peaks seems never ending

You might never understand just how reassuring a set of sticks and a helping hand can be, until you have climbed the countless rocky stairs along this trail.

Never forge your way up the cables on Half Dome unless the sky is clear blue like it was for us on this gorgeous September day.

Kirsten has never smiled more while climbing up the cables. Between all the compliments she was getting and the up close and personal moments with some hikers smelling less than desirable, it was all any of us could do to keep a straight face!   

No matter how hard you try, you can never capture in a picture just how steep these cables really are.

  It was Kirsten's third hike to the top, but she'd never noticed that straight down drop on that cliff back there before! 

No matter how many times you've hiked to the top though, you should never pass up an opportunity to snap a picture of you and your lovely bride on top of the world.

Reed spent his time on top engaged in the sport of people watching.  That form of entertainment never gets old.  

In just two days she'd been told she looked young, fit, tough, and that she had a million dollar smile.  They probably meant to tell her she looked tan too.  You can never be mad at that!

Never try to just walk right up to this prime picture taking point at the top of Half Dome.  You probably won't notice unless you look really hard, but we learned there is always a long line of hikers waiting their turn, and they don't take kindly to cutters!

Corey almost never looked up while climbing down.  He's seen what's up there and he says he isn't interested...Whatever, I'm not buyin' it!

I determined I should never look up at Kirsten while on the cables because the faces she made as hikers passed her on the way up were hysterical! I thought she was going to have to ask some of them for their names! She had me laughing so hard I was worried I'd fall!

Shelley opted to wait at the base of the cables this year.  I've never wanted to quote a line from a movie as badly as I wanted to shout out to her the fat german accented caterpillar line from Bugs Life, "You all look like tiny little ants from way up here!" Yep, sometimes I act like I'm 7!

I never knew that we weren't supposed to leave gloves at the base of the cables for other hikers to use.  They consider it littering!

And I never would have guessed that carrying all those gloves back down to the ranger could be our permit-less price of admission to the top of Half Dome.  Nice negotiating Reed!

Shelley never cracked her book open while she was waiting for us to get back down, she just lounged on the rock like a lizard and took in the sights.

Checking to see if the marmots left him any snacks in his pack.  You never know with how aggressive they are up here!  At least this time they didn't eat any holes in our packs!

I'll never turn down an opportunity to spend the day with these two sweet friends!

You've never seen two girls so giddy from laughter and happier to be done with the gravely winding staircase of the sub dome.

You never know when the need for a nap or "just resting your eyes" will strike.  

Never pass up an opportunity to rest for a minute or two.  The joy is in the journey...

But never ask Corey if he wants to rest by the waters edge, he's had traumatic experiences in the past.

You'll never hear me recommending anyone hiking half dome with just two hours of sleep.  I may be wearing a half smile here, but I was a bit delirious!

In all of my trips to Yosemite, I've never seen the mist trail quite so dry.

I would never take fashion advise from this guy! Not only could you smell him from 10 feet away, but his bright orangey yellow shirt was tucked in at the waist and sticking out through his zipper!!!!!

Never a dull moment...Kirsten's stalker boyfriends from the cables, the sun screened albino on the way back down, Reed making besties with another group of random strangers, the bears we never saw, and laughter that never stopped.

Never a bad way to spend the day!